[04/29/08 - 11:18 AM]Primetime Ratings Report for the Week of April 21, 2008 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings) ABC spins the numbers for the week of April 21-27.

[via press release from ABC]

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of April 21, 2008 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Takes Second Across the Adult Demos and Wins the Week in Key Women

Excluding Oscars Week, ABC Posts its Top Adult 18-49 Number in 5 Months

ABC Airs 7 of the Week's Top 20 Shows, Claiming TV's Top 3 Scripted Series
In Adults 18-49 with "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost"

ABC is Monday's Most-Watched Net for the 2nd Week in a Row
And for the 6th Straight Week Ranks No. 1 in the Key Women Demos

Growing Week to Week, ABC's "DWTS" Wins its Slot in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Standing as Monday's Most-Watched TV Program for the 6th Consecutive Week

"The Bachelor" is Up Week to Week by 11% in Viewers and by 4% in Adults 18-49

For the 4th Week in a Row, ABC's "DWTS Results" is the Top Draw in its Tuesday
Time Slot, Leading Fox's "Idol"-Fueled "Hell's Kitchen" by 7.0 Million Viewers

Hitting Season-Highs in Viewers and Young Adults on Tuesday, ABC's "DWTS
Results" Jumps by 2.6 Million Viewers and 17% in Adults 18-49 Week to Week

ABC's "Boston Legal" Marks the Series' Strongest Numbers in More than 5 Months

For the 2nd Year in a Row, ABC Wins the Opening Night of the May Sweep
Among Adults 18-49, Marking its 6th Straight Major Sweep to Open at No. 1

On its Return, ABC's "Ugly Betty" Earns Second to CBS' "Survivor" in Viewers and
Adults 18-49, and Ranks No. 1 in Women 18-34 for its 13th Regular Original Telecast

The No. 1 TV Program on Thursday in Adults 18-49, "Grey's Anatomy" Dominates its Time Slot and Stands as TV's Top-Rated Scripted Series Telecast in Nearly 3 Months

In its New Slot, "Lost" Beats its Nearest Competition by 61% in Adults 18-49 & Jumps from its Most Recent Original with ABC's Best Numbers in the Hour in Nearly a Year

Leading the Opening Sunday of the Sweep by 3.1 Million Viewers and 33%
In Adults 18-49, ABC is No. 1 for the 10th Straight Sunday in the Key Demo

Sunday's No. 1 TV Show for the 3rd Consecutive Week, "Desperate Housewives" is Up Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults and Dominates its 9pm Time Period

Growing Week to Week and Continuing to Win its Time Slot in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" Draws the Series' Biggest Audience in 5 Months

WEEK No. 31:

ABC earned second place during the week of April 21, 2008, across all key adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (2.2/6), Adults 18-49 (2.9/8) and Adults 25-54 (3.5/9). Beating Fox for the week, ABC ranked No. 1 among Women 18-49 (3.9/10) and Women 25-54 (4.6/11).

� ABC was up week to week by 1.2 million viewers (9.1 million vs. 7.9 million) and by 26% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/8 vs. 2.3/7). In fact, excluding the week of its Academy Awards telecast (w/o 2/19/08), the Net marked its highest Adult 18-49 rating in nearly 5 months � since w/o 12/3/07.

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating trends based on the Live + Same Day data stream may be somewhat distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped from over 15% at the same point in 2006-07, up to more than 24% currently. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Monday

For the second week in a row and the fifth time in the last six weeks, ABC was Monday's most-watched TV network, topping second-place CBS during prime by 1.7 million viewers (13.1 million vs. 11.4 million). The Net took a solid second place on the evening among Adults 18-49 (3.5/9). For the sixth consecutive Monday, ABC ranked as the No. 1 network across each of the key women demographics: W18-34 (3.7/10), W18-49 (5.2/12) and W25-54 (6.5/15).

� ABC was up week to week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 (12.5 million & 3.4/9 on 4/14/08).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-9:32 p.m.)

Leading its time period in Total Viewers (18.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.3/11), ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" qualified as Monday's most-watched television program for the sixth week in a row � outdrawing the No. 2 show during prime by 3.6 million viewers (CBS' "C.S.I.: Miami" = 14.4 million from 10:00-11:00 p.m.).

� "DWTS" grew its delivery week to week by 5% in Total Viewers (18.0 million vs. 17.2 million) and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 4.1/11).

"Samantha Who?" (9:32-10:02 p.m.)

ABC's "Samantha Who?" earned second in its time slot across each of the key women demographics: W18-34 (3.1/7), W18-49 (4.2/10) and W25-54 (5.1/11).

� "The Bachelor: London Calling" was up from the prior week by 11% in Total Viewers (7.3 million vs. 6.6 million) and by 4% among Adults 18-49 (2.3/7 vs. 2.5/6), its best numbers in 3 weeks on both counts � since 3/31/08.

Tuesday

ABC earned a solid second place to Fox on Tuesday evening in Total Viewers (10.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/7).

� Growing by 1.3 million viewers and by 22% in Adults 18-49 over the previous Tuesday (9.4 million & 2.3/6), ABC garnered its highest young adult delivery in 4 weeks � since 3/25/08.

"Dancing with the Stars Results" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)

Building sharply on its lead-in (+14.0 million viewers and +200% in Adults 18-49), ABC's "Dancing with the Stars Results" was the most-watched show in its 9 o'clock time period for the fourth straight week. Despite Fox's decided lead-in advantage coming into to the hour from "Idol," ABC's "DWTS Results" topped Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" by 7.0 million viewers (18.0 million vs. 11.0 million). "DWTS" delivered a solid second place in Adults 18-49, defeating its CBS unscripted competition in the slot by 75% (4.2/10 vs. 2.4/6 � "Big Brother 9"). Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin was the sixth celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the ABC dance competition this season. The ABC dance competition stood as Tuesday's No. 2 TV show in viewers for the fifth week in a row, behind only Fox's "American Idol." It also won its time slot and ranked as Tuesday's No. 2 show in Adults 25-54, Women 18-49 and Women 25-54.

� Hitting season-highs in viewers and young adults, "DWTS Results" was up over the prior week's performance by 2.6 million viewers (18.0 million vs. 15.4 million) and by 17% in Adults 18-49 (4.2/10 vs. 3.6/8). In fact on both Nielsen measures, the show drew ABC's top numbers in the time period in 5 months � since 11/27/07.

"Boston Legal" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite NBC's original "Law & Order: SVU," ABC's "Boston Legal" took second place in the 10 o'clock hour among Total Viewers (9.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/7).

� Growing week to week by 1.1 million viewers (9.9 million vs. 8.8 million) and by 29% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/7 vs. 2.1/6), ABC's "Boston Legal" marked the series' best numbers since mid-November � since 11/13/07.

Thursday

ABC dominated the opening night of the 2008 May Sweep among Adults 18-49 (4.8/13), beating second-place CBS by 17% (4.1/11), third-place NBC by 66% (2.9/8) and fourth-place Fox by 109% (2.3/6). The Network also ranked No. 1 on the night across the other adult demos and with teens: AD25-54 (5.4/13), AD18-34 (4.4/13) and Teens 12-17 (2.3/9). ABC's "Grey's" and "Lost" stood as the Top 2 TV shows of the night among young adults.

� ABC marked its second straight year as the No. 1 network on the first night of the May Sweep in Adults 18-49, while registering its sixth consecutive first-place finish on the opening night of any major sweep in the key sales demographic � No. 1 on the opening nights of Nov. '06, Feb. '07, May '07, Nov. '07, Feb. '08 and May '08.

� ABC posted its strongest Thursday in viewers and across all key adults in 3 months, and marked its highest ratings on the evening in nearly 5 months with all key women � since 1/31/08 and 12/06/07, respectively.

"Ugly Betty" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Returning with its first telecast in 3 months (since 1/24/08), ABC's "Ugly Betty" earned second place in the 8 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (8.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/7) to time period regular CBS' "Survivor: Micronesia." The ABC sophomore series posted a convincing victory in the hour among its core audience of Women 18-34, beating out second-place "Survivor" by a margin of 23% (3.7/11 vs. 3.0/9). In fact it was "Ugly Betty's" 13th straight regular original telecast this season to rank No. 1 in its time slot with Women 18-34.

� The return of "Ugly Betty" generated ABC's top viewer and young adult numbers in the time period in 3 months � since 1/31/08.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)

On its first original airing since early January (1/10/08), ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" returned to dominate the 9 o'clock hour and rank as Thursday's No. 1 television program across each of the key adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (6.0/16), Adults 18-49 (6.5/16) and Adults 25-54 (7.2/16). In its time period, "Grey's" topped CBS' original "C.S.I." by 38% in Adults 18-49 (6.5/16 vs. 4.7/12). "Grey's" marked its 12th consecutive original telecast this season as Thursday's No. 1 TV show in the key young adult sales demographic.

� On it return among Adults 18-49, "Grey's Anatomy" qualified as the highest rated scripted series telecast on TV in nearly 3 months � since Fox's "House" on 2/5/08, which had the added benefit of following "American Idol" on that night.

"Lost" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

In the final hour of the night, ABC's "Lost" overshadowed its new 10 o'clock time period competition, defeating second-place CBS' original time slot regular, "Without a Trace," by 61% in Adults 18-49 (5.3/14 vs. 3.3/9). In fact "Lost" was No. 1 in its time slot in the key young adult sales demographic for the 9th consecutive original telecast this season. "Lost" won the 10:00 p.m. hour in all key adults, men, women and teens.

� In addition to delivering solid retention of its "Grey's" lead-in with key adults, "Lost" actually built on its lead-in across all key men demos (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54). "Lost" stood as Thursday's
No. 1 TV show with Men 18-49 (4.5/13).

� "Lost" was up from its most recent original airing (3/20/08) by 5% in Total Viewers (12.1 million vs. 11.5 million) and by 15% in Adults 18-49 (5.3/14 vs. 4.6/12). In fact the series drew its biggest audience and its top Adult 18-49 rating since early March � since 3/6/08. Furthermore in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Lost's" time period premiere produced ABC's best numbers in the hour in almost a year � since 5/17/07.

Sunday

Defeating its nearest competition on the opening Sunday of the 2008 May Sweep by 3.1 million viewers (11.7 million vs. 8.6 million � CBS) and by 33% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/11 vs. 3.0/8 � Fox), ABC tallied its tenth week in a row as Sunday's No. 1 network in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic. In fact ABC was the No. 1 network for the second week in a row during all 4 hours of the evening with Adults 18-49.

� Building its Sunday audience for the third straight week in viewers and young adults, ABC turned in its best Sunday numbers in 8 weeks � since 3/2/08.

� For the third consecutive Sunday (each week since its return), ABC's "Desperate Housewives" stood as the night's No. 1 TV show in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, qualifying as Sunday's top-rated series on all 13 of its original telecasts this season. In fact the Network aired the Top 2 most-watched TV programs on Sunday with "Housewives" and "Home Edition," respectively.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

Putting ABC into first place in Sunday's opening hour, a 7 o'clock installment of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" led its nearest competitor in the slot by 21% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/7 vs. 1.9/5 - Fox).

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Home Edition" dominated its regular 8 o'clock time period in viewers and young adults, beating competition including CBS' season finale of "Big Brother 9" and Fox's original animated comedies ("The Simpsons"/"King of the Hill"). In the hour, the ABC unscripted series beat its nearest competition by 5.7 million (12.1 million vs. 6.4 million � CBS' "Big Brother 9") and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (3.9/11 vs. 3.3/9 � Fox's comedies).

� "Home Edition" generated ABC's top numbers in the time period in 4 weeks � since 3/30/08.

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)

Sunday's No. 1 TV show for the third week in a row, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" overshadowed its 9 o'clock time period competitors, beating the second-place networks by 4.8 million viewers (16.4 million vs. 11.6 million � CBS's original "Cold Case") and by 55% in Adults 18-49 (5.9/14 vs. 3.8/9 � Fox's original "Family Guy"/"American Dad").

For the second week in a row, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" took full control of its 10 o'clock time period in viewers and young adults. In the hour, "Brothers & Sisters" outdelivered second-place CBS' "Dexter" by 4.8 million viewers (11.2 million vs. 6.4 million � CBS) and by 90% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/10 vs. 2.0/5).

� "Brothers & Sisters" was up from the prior week by 1.1 million viewers and by 12% in Adults 18-49 (10.1 million & 3.4/9), the series' biggest audience in 5 months � 12/2/07.